beauties of that glorious presence how then can I poor sinful wretch praise thee either according to my Duty or thy Glories I confess and glory in thy omnipotency thy omniscience thy truth and thy Mercy O let me also receive thy blessings and gracious influences that I may adore thee with all my power for ever and serve thee with my best and earliest industry that being here wholly inebriated with Love and employed in thy service and the Duty of a holy obedience I may to all eternity rejoyce in the beholding of those Glories which are above all capacities even those Glories which stream forth from the Throne of the Eternal God the Father Son and Holy Ghost to whom be Glory and Dominion Honour and adoration world without end Amen A Prayer to be used upon any Apostles Day O ALMIGHTY God who has built thy Holy Church upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone I bless and magnifie thy holy Name for thy great Graces thou gavest to thy Apostles Prophets and Martyrs in the days of their Flesh and this day I have thy Servant Here name the Apostle in remembrance praising thee for the benefit the Church hath received by his Ministry and Example and I beseech thee give me thy Grace that obeying thy Doctrine which he taught and following his Example as he followed Christ I may also with safety and holiness pass through this Valley of Tears that serving thee in my Generation advancing thy Honour and obeying thy Laws I may in the Society and Communion of Saints and Angels Sing eternal Hallelujahs to the honour of thy Mercy and of thy Majestâ— through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for the Church O LORD God Almighty I beseech thee keep thy holy Church in Peace Unity and Safety preserve it against all Storms Temptations and Enemies that she offering to thy Glory the never-ceasing Sacrifice of Praise and Yhanksgiving may advance the honour of her Lord and be partaker of his Glory through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer for the King and Queen ALMIGHTY God by whom Kings Reign and Princes decree Justice I humbly beseech thee to save and with the choicest of thy Benedictions bless thy Servants and our Soveraign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary preserve their Royal Persons in Health and Honour their power in Wealth and Dignity their Dominions in Peace and Plenty the Churches under their Protections in Piety Knowledge and a strict and holy Religion Let not the Wicked approach to hurt them nor any Weapon that is formed against them prosper but keep them perpetually in thy fear and favour and Crown them at last with Glory and Immortality Amen A Prayer for the Royal Family BLESS O Lord I beseech thee Katherine the Queen Dowager her Royal Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark with the rest of the Royal Family keep them in thy fear and protect them with thy favour and after this life is ended Crown them with everlasting happiness in the World to come Amen A Prayer for the Clergy O ALMIGHTY God protect thy Stars in thy right hand the moâ—â— Reverend the Archbishops the right Reverend the Bishops with all other Inferior Priests and Deacons grant that all Congregations committed to their charge may edifie by their Doctrine and live Godly and Peaceable lives under them to the saving of their Souls in the day of the Lord Jesus Amen A Prayer for the High Court of Parliament BLESS O Lord I beseech thee the great Councel of the Nation the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament grant that all their Consultations may tend to thy Glory the good of thy Church and the Safety Honour and Welfare of our Soveraign Lord and Lady and their Kingdoms let Justice run down like a stream and Righteousness like the mighty Waters that there may be no leading into Captivity nor no complaining in our Streets but that Mercy and Truth may meet together and Righteousness and Peace may kiss each other grant this O Lord for thy Sons sake and my alone Redeemer Amen A Prayer for the Navy and Army O ETERNAL God thou art the Lord of Hosts and the strength of all Nations is from thee and no Victory can wait upon the justest Designs upon the wisest Councels upon the strongest Armies if thou teach not their hands to War and their fingers to Fight Lend us O Lord thy assistance by Land and Sea be with our Armies and the Armies of our Allies and Associates by Land and be with our Navy at Sea be not from the one nor from the other until thou hast brought them back with Honour Victory or a settled Peace Let not that proud Disturber and Destroyer of Mankind any longer Insult over thy People but turn his Sword into his own Bosom O Lord thy Servants are unfeignedly sorrowful for those Sins they have committed against thy Divine Majesty O do thou pardon us and receive us graciously and then we may trust in thy goodness that thou wilt pour down all thy Blessings upon this and all other designs and actions of this State undertaken for thy Glory the Honour of our most gracious Soveraign Lord and Lady the Peace and Welfare of the whole Church and Their Majesties three Kingdoms grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ his sake our only Mediator and Advocate Amen A. Prayer for Gods People in General MOST gracious God I humbly beseech thee to bless all thy People wheresoever dispersed or howsoever distressed over the face of the whole Earth more especially in these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland give us all humble and obedient hearts to thee our God Loyal hearts to our Soveraign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary and charitable thoughts one towards another Convert and bring home thine own People the Iews and bring in the fulness of the Gentiles save and have Mercy upon all Asiaticks and Affricans and all those that never heard of a Crucified Saviour this I humbly beg for thy Sons sake my alone Saviour Amen A Thanksgiving for our deliverance from the Spanish Invasion WE laud and magnifie thy holy Name for this thy wonderful deliverance from Roman Slavery and Popish Usurpation which would have destroyed the Renowned and Glorious Queen Elizabeth and her Kingdom their Gallies and Ships came to assault us being full of pride and nominating themselves Invincible but thou O Lord our strength didst awake us out of sleep and like a Giant refreshed with Wine and smote our Enemies in the hinder parts and didst put them all to Confusion Grant O Lord that we may never want thankful hearts to praise thee for this and all other thy Mercies even to our lives end Amen A Thanksgiving for our great deliverance from the Powder Treason and from Popery and Slavery and Arbitrary Power O MOST mighty God whose All-seeing Eye of Providence didst discover to us that Train which Popish
the Children of Men thou hast provided all Creatures the Fowls of the Air Fish in the Sea and Beasts of the Field to furnish his Table cloath his Nakedness and serve his Necessities The Earth thou Createdst to sustain him the Waters to wash and cool him the Air to breath him the Fire to warm him the Flowers to refresh him the Herbs to cure him the Fruits to nourish him the Mines to enrich him the precious Stones to adorn him and the glorious Luminaries of Heaven the Sun and the Moon to light him the one in the Day and the other in the Night and both to measure his time to direct his Husbandry to divert him in his Peregrinations to ripen his Fruits and to encrease his Stores I CANNOT plead Ignorance of thy Deity for the Heavens declare thy Glory and the Firmament sheweth thy Handy-work I cannot pretend Ignorance of thy Law for thou hast put thy Word into my Mouth and written thy Law in my Heart nor I cannot affirm that I never heard of the Light of thy Gospel for the Light came into the World and shined in the Darkness and the Darkness comprehended it not but Men love darkness rather than light because their Deeds are evil FOR which thou mightest most justly have cast us into utter Darkness where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth but there is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared there is Balm in Gilead to cure our deadly Wounds there is Unction in Christ and Salvation in Jesus out of his precious side he opened to all the Inhabitants of the Earth a Fountain for Sin and all Uncleanness whereby we might be Purified even as he is pure A Prayer for Wednesday Morning O ETERNAL God who art of Infinite Majesty look down from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness upon me thy unworthy Servant thou art a God of Power and canst relieve me of Goodness and wilt in thy good time mercifully help me O Lord the Fountain of thy Mercy can never be dryed up nor the Merits of my Saviour diminished O therefore Bath my Soul in them that being Sanctified and Justified I may appear in thy sight more pure and white than the Snow in Salmon I BLESS thy Name for keeping me this Night past and bringing me to the beginning of this Day let thy Eyes always attend upon me prosper preserve cherish guide and govern me in all my Studies Actions and Employments so that I may spend this day and the remainder of my life according to thy blessed Will Grant O Lord that whatever I do it may be acceptable in thy sight to the Glory of thy most Holy Name the peace of my Conscience and the Salvation of my own Soul TO this end be thou O Lord my God and my Guide my Protector and Defender Keep me unspotted of the World teach me to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly towards my self Righteously towards my Neighbour and Piously towards thee my God repenting truly of my Sins and serving thee in holiness and righteousness all my daies that in life thou mayst be my God in death my deliverer and after death my Eternal rewarder Amen A Prayer for Wednseday Night O MOST glorious God I do here at this time with the good Samaritan return to give thee thanks for all thy Mercies and Blessings bestowed on my soul and body in things Spiritual and temporal for my Election before all time my Creation in the beginning of time and my Redemption in the fulness of time I praise and glorifie thee for thy preservation of me this day and that thou hast yet spared me and hast given me Liberty and a gracious opportunity once more to call upon thee LORD I acknowledge and confess that thou mightest have taken me away in the midst of my Sins and in the very act of Committing them but thou hast dealt more merciful with me Keep me O Lord this Night from fear and danger and from all noysome Dreams and from all hinderances of sweet repose which thou hast appointed for the refreshing of wearied Nature SEAL unto me a full and a free Pardon of all my Sins of what Nature or quality soever they be whether they be Sins of omission or Commssion of knowledg ignorance weakness or wilfulness O Lord deal not with me according to the magnitude and multitude of them but for thine infinite Mercies blot them out of thy Book of remembrance and Cast them out of thy sight into the bottomless Sea of thy Compassion that they may never rise in this Life to shame me nor in the Life to come to Condemn me Amen Meditations for Thursday LOrd Teach me of what Spirit I am or should be even of that which descended upon thy Son in the likeness of a Dove without gall By this Spirit mortifie in me the Lusts and affections of the Flesh such as envy wrath and revenge by the still small voice in which thou discoursest with Elias let me obâ—erve that thou art not in the fire of my rage nor in the storm of my Passion but in the soft gale of Grace Thou didst on this day replenish the Sea and Rivers with Fish and the Ayr with Fowls in Shapes admirably various and in number almost infinite stir me up by this Consideration to admire thy power and Wisdom in thus enriching this vast and seeming solitude BLESSED Lord who this day madest the Waters fruitful let thy Spirit move upon the waters of my Tears that they may abound in the fruits of Repentance and be blessed in the encrease of Spiritual Consolation This day thou Commandest the Fowls to fly through the Ayre lift up my Soul from ths Earth with the wings of Faith and hope that She may mount up towards Heavenâ— Make me light and cheerful after my heavy Sorrows and afflictions and though I have been as if I had layen among the Pots yet I may be by the Grace of thy Spirit like that Dove whose wings are Silver and her feathers like Gold FOR my light and momentary Afflictions are no way worthy the Glory that shall be revealed unto me hereafter And for the present what are Afflictions or Crosses or Persecutions but the common lot of thy Children when I am thus chastned I am Judged of thee that I may not be Condemned of the World How can I ever forget thee who rememberest me at all times and in all places Amen A Prayer for Thursday Morning O LORD God who dwellest in that light which no mortal Eye can approach yet beholdest in Mercie the Sons and Daughters of Men thou makest the outgoings of the Morning full of thy Glory and causest the Sun to shine upon the just and the unjust mercifully chasing away the darkness of the Night and shadow of Death I praise thy holy Name that thou hast vouchsafed me to pass this Night in rest and quietness and hast brought me safe to the beginning of this day I HUMBLY beseech
evermore let no appalements disturb me keep me from Fire Storms Tempests Thieves sudden Death and Danger cause thine Angels to pitch their Tents round about me my House and Habitation and preserve all that is near and dear unto me Here name your particular Friends REMEMBER thy Church and every Member of it have pity on the poor afflicted Protestants in all parts beyond the Seas who suffer for the Testimony of their Faith and a good Conscience send them help from thy Holy place and evermore mightily defend them be unto them a Sun and a Shield a Sun to Comfort and a Shield to defend them to all Dangers and Tribulations put a period unto all their afflictions and in â—hy good time vouchsafe them a happy Deliverance Lord receive them and me and all that appertain unto me this Night and for ever into thy Gracious protection through the Mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Meditations for Saturday THE great Creator this day rested from all his Work which he had made and blessed it O Lord grant that after this painful life is ended I may enjoy a comfortable rest with thee in Heaven where I may keep an eternal Sabbath and hold a perpetual Feast there will be rest without Labour tranquillity without Molestation and joys without End There my Soul wilt thou behold a Glorious City the Streets of Gold the Gates of Pearl and the Foundations garnished with all sorts of precious Stones I SHALL behold thee the Father in thy Majesty Christ thy Son in his Glory the Spirit in his Sanctity the Arch-Angels and Angels in their Exceilency and the Saints in their Felicity then shall I no more hunger labour nor travel I shall no more fear grieve nor desire I shall want no more an earthly House for the Heaven of Heavens shall be my Habitation God will be my Temple and the Lamb that shineth for ever shall enlighten me LORD let the hope and expectation of this eternal rest and felicity sweeten all my labours and ease my torments let it mitigate my afflictions and comfort my spirits that I faint not in my Journey nor be depressed under my burden but hold on cheerfully and valiantly till I arrive at the Land of Promise and there receive the Lot of mine Inheritance with the Saints in light for evermore Amen A Prayer for Saturday Morning MOST Gracious God sanctifie I humbly beseech thee this day unto me and my self now and ever unto thy service thy Mercies O Lord they are new every Morning and therefore my Thanks ought every day to be a new repeated I praise thy holy Name for keeping me this Night past unto this present hour and moment and hast now brought me unto the last day of the Week grant that I may spend the same soberly righteously and holily BRING me to the knowledge of thy Blessed Will in all things that I may endeavour to perform the same to thy Glory the peace of my Conscience and the preservation of my own Soul purge and cleanse my Heart and Conscience from all dead Works that I may serve thee the living God for evermore Be thou my Guide in all my ways my stay and support in all my necessities put an end to the motions of the Flesh enlarge my Heart for all pious Duties and habitual Graces of thy Spirit that I may bring forth the Fruits of them in my Life and Conversation BLESS the Kingdom wherein I inhabit and thy holy Catholick Church whereof I am an unworthy Member bless thy Servants and our dear Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary as thou hast Crowned them with a Temporal Crown here so in thy due time give them a Crown of Glory hereafter Bless Katherine the Queen Dowager her Royal Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark with the rest of the Royal Family Bless all persons whether dignified or distinguished from the swayer of the Scepter to the drawer of Water have mercy upon all sick persons Women travelling with Child and those who are troubled in Body Mind or Estate O Lord speak peace unto their Consciences and as thou hast laid laid them down with the one hand so raise them up with the other if not to this life to life eternal for the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord Amen A Prayer for Saturday Evening O GOD the maker and preserver of all things look down with thy eye of pity and compassion upon me a miserable sinner I here prostrate my self Soul and Body before thy Divine Majesty beseeching thee in much mercy to pardon my sins to Sanctifie me with thy grace and to bring me to thy glory That so my Soul may be refreshed with such things as Eye hath not seen Ear hath not heard nor hath it entered into the heart of Man to conceive ENTER not into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no Flesh living be justified Examine not my wayes this Week past by the strickt rule of thy Law neither reward me in the severity of thy Justice But have Mercy upon me a miserable offender that have deserved the sharpest of thy Judgments but as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so is thy Mert cy over all thy Works of and great exten to poor Sinners SATISFIE my Soul with thy Mercy and that right soon so shall I rejoyce and be-glad in thee and learn to praise thee Evermore And now O Lord as this Week is ended so let my Sins be ended and never be repeated again any more Be pleased to be my merciful protector and preserver from all perils and dangers this Night Refresh my Body with quiet rest that my mind may be chearful and be fit to serve thee in Sanctifying thy Sabbath and keeping it as a glorious day unto thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Meditations on the Lords Supper HOW can I approach so divine a banquet and not by an humble confession wash my hands in innocency holy things must not be given to Dogs nor Pearls cast before Swine What is so holy as the Body and blood of Christ and what Pearl so precious as this Sacrament There is no Dog so filthy or Sow so unclean as I am by Nature but with great detestation of my Rebellious Corruptions I confess that never Dog so often returned to his Vomit nor Sow to her wallowing in the mire as I have to the sink of Sin and mire of sensual filthiness O WASH my hands in purity cleanse my Mouth and purge my Heart that I may take with a pure Hand eat with an undefileth mouth and keep in a faithfull heart this bread of life and food of Angels give me grace throughly and sincerely to examine my self and grant that after Examination I may find my desire fervent my knowledge Competent my Sorrow for Sin unfeigned my purpose of amendment sled fait my love sincere and my Faith lively AND finding my self thus apparelled in a wedding garment let me be found of thee
Days Grace and Vertue and guide my Feet in the way of peace Amen A Prayer for a Young Man or Maid MOST gracious God vouchsafe to me thy Heavenly Grace now and at all times more especially in this most dangerous part of my Life when the heat of Youth and many temptations do surround me O preserve me I beseech thee as the apple of thine Eye and though the flesh strives against the Spirit yet do thou exercise thy power and strengthen my imbecillity Stifle Sin in me at the beginning that it arise not up to a habit and prevent in me all evil and unworthy thoughts against thy Divine Majesty O LORD I recommend unto thee my Soul as a Child that can of it self do nothing defend me from all enemies Spiritual and Temporal keep my Soul and Body pure chast and undefiled that I offend not either in thought word or deed Give me grace O Lord to obey my Parents and those to whose tuition I am committed and grant that if thou shalt be pleased to call me to the honourable estate of Matrimony I may be joyned with one with whom I may serve thee in peace and holiness all the dayes of my Life Amen A Prayer for a Servant O HOLY and blessed Lord God who tookest upon thee the form of a Servant and wast obedient unto death even the death of the Cross that thou mightest work the Salvation of all people as well bond as free thou hast been pleased to call me to the State and Condition of a Servant below many others in the world O make me humbly submit to it and alwayes praise and magnifie thy holy Name that thou hast given me Health and strength of Body to perfrom my Duty LORD cast forth all murmurings and repinings in me and all Envy at the prosperity of others Endue me with meekness and humility and deliver me from the slavery of Sin that I may be made a Servant of Righteousness teach me to understand my duty and to reverence those whom I serve accounting them worthy of that honour which appertains to them Preserve me from Pride unseemly passions or disrespectfull behaviour towards my Superiors quicken my diligence in businesse and grant that whatever I shall take in hand I may not do it with Eye Service but in singleness of heart and obtain thy Grace and favour for Evermore Amen A Prayer for the fruits of the Earth MOST gracious God thy Works are to be wondered at through the World thou makest the grass to grow for the Cattel and Herb for the service of Man Thou bringest forth food out of the Earth and blessest the encrease of it look down O Lord I beseech thee upon all the dwellers upon earth wherein we inhabit That our Land may become fruitful and yield forth plenty in its proper Season And O thou who openest thy hand and fillest all things Living with good things fill our hearts with wisdome and all Christian vertues that we may bring forth abundantly the fruit of good works to the honour and glory of thy holy Name And as thou Crownest the Year with thy goodness and thy Clouds drop fatness So grant that we may evermore praise thee for all thy Mercies from whom cometh every good and perfect gift to whom be ascribed all honour power and glory now and forever Amen A Praier for Seasonable Weather O LORD God who for our sins art justly displeased at us and dost now chastise us by keeping back thy rain from watering the Earth whereby we are in danger of losing the diligent labour of our hands Pardon O Lord we humbly beseech our high provocations and accept of our hearty and true Repentance and favourably and Mercifully forgive all our transgressions committed against thee SHOWER down again thy blessings of Rain upon the Earth and water it O Lord that it may be softened and replenished But let not immoderately the Floods overflow us nor the Seed be spoiled under the Clod But let thy loving kindness renw the face of the Earth ' and make the green Pastures rejoyce Hearken unto the Cry of the Poor and Needy and though we eat our Bread in the sweat of our Face yet punish us not with the Scarcity of it which is the Staff and Support of our Lives Lord prosper all our labours and let us with moderation enjoy the fruit of it this we beg for thy Sons sake our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen A Thanksgiving after a good Havest WE Bless and praise thy holy Name O Lord for sending us Rain from Heaven and fruitful Seasons whereby thou hast filled our hearts with Food and gladness Thou hast made the Grass to grow upon the Mountains and given Food to the Beasts of the field and hast filled us with the finest of the Wheat flower thou hast given Seed to the Sower and Bread to the Eater and hast loaded the Earth with thy bounty that our Barns might be filled BLESSED for ever art thou O Lord and magnified be thy Name for these and all others this benefits which thou from time to time hast bestowed upon us O that our hearts may overflow with love and our Tongues with expressions of thankfulness to thee grant that we may never forget nor abuse thy loving kindness towards us but by a sober and charitable use of these thy Mercies we may be made fit for a continual supply of them and at the last be made heirs of thy glorious Kingdom Amen A Prayer for a Woman with Child O GOD the Creatour and preserver of all things who in the beginning didst place mankind in unspeakable happiness and had there continued had not our first Parents broke thy Divine precepts given them in Paradise So that the Earth for their sakes was accursed and unto us the Daughters of Eve for our transgressions thou hast alotted most grievous pains and torments of Body in bringing forth Children LORD extend unto me and to all Women thy Mercy mitigate the torments thereof that we may be able patiently to endure the pains of our travell at the hour appointed And make that easie and light to us which our defects have made heavy and burdensome and that wherewith I am now laden may graciously be delivered from my frail Body and send us all good Lord a safe deliverance that we may be made joyful and happy Mothers VOUCHSAFE unto me and to all that have conceived with child strength to bring forth that which thine omnipotency hath so wonderfully wrought in us in our greatest perils O Lord help us and mightily deliver us let thy powâ—r might and Love be no less manifest en the delivery then in the forming of thiy Creature that being through thy goodness made a joyfull Mother I may obtain my perfect strength again and live to praise thee for evermore Amen A Prayer for a Woman near the time of her Travel O GOD most holy the speedy helper of all those who relie upon thee by thy almighty power I
go down to the pit O what great troubles and Adversities hast thou shewed me and yet didst thou turn and refresh me yea and broughtest me from the deep of the Earth again Praised be god which 〈◊〉 not cast out my Prayer nor â—â—â—ned his Mercy from me LORD what is Man that thou hast respect unto him Or the Son of Man that thou so regardest him The Lord is Righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his Works The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him yea all such as call upon him faithfully He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him he also will hear their Cry and will help them SING Praises unto the Lord O ye Saints of his and give thanks unto him for a remembrance of his Holiness for his Wrath endureth but the twinkling of Eye and in his pleasure is Life Heaviness may endure for a Night but joy cometh in the Morning Praised be the Lord daily even the God which helpeth us and pouereth his benefits upon us HE is our God even the God of whom cometh Salvation God is the Lord by whom we escape Death I will be glad and rejoyce in thy Mercy For thou hast Considered my trouble and hast known my Soul in adverâ—ity thou hast turned my heaviness into joy thou hast put off my Sackeloth and girded me with gladness PRAISE the Lord O my Soul And all that is within me Praise his holy Name Praise the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Which forgiveth all thy Sin and healeth all thine infirmities Which saveth thy life from destruction and Crowneth thee with Mercy and loving kindness I shall not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord The Lord hath chastned me and corrected me but he hath not given me over unto Death A Thanksgiving after Recovery from Sickness OMNIPOTENT Lord God the Author of Life who bringest down to the Grave and raisest up again I most humbly confess to the Glory of thine infinite Majesty that if thou hadst not out of thy tender Compassion blessed and sustained me in my sickness I should have gone down to the Gates of Death but it was thy goodness and loving kindness to spare and deliver me from all dangers Let me for ever Praise and glorifie thy holy Name for this and all other thy Mercies towards me THOU art gracious when thou smitest me but I cannot express thy infinite sweetness when thou Relievest my necessity when thou sustainest my Sorrows when thou doâ—t deliver me from thy Wrath when thou hearest my prayers and when thou pourest thy Benefits upon me O give unto me thy unworthy Servant a thankful Heart and obedient and loving Spirit a carefulness of my Duty Charity and Humility Zeal of thy Glory and a submission to thy Divine will and Pleasure that serving thee in all things I may be conducted at last to thy Heavenly Kingdom TEACH me alwayes to remember my latter end and that this Life is but a shadow that declineth and withereth like Grass But thou O Lord shalt endure for ever for thou art the same and thy Years shall have no end Bring me by an unchangeable love and obedience to thee in all the changes and chances of this mortal Life for his sake who loved me and gave himself for me even thy Son and my alone Saviour Amen A Prayer before a Iourney O MOST gracious and Merciful Lord God who art a God a far off as well as nigh at hand be pleased to send thy holy Angel before me thy Servant to defend me in this my journey from the heat of the day and the Cold of the night from the Arrow that flies at Noon and the evil Spirits that walk in darkness from errors and falls from precipices and fracture of bones from Robbers evil intentions and bad accidents from violent Weather and violent Fears from all impressions of evil Men and evil Spirits let this Journey be safe and useful to me thy Servant Comfortable to my Relations and holiness to thy great Name THE Lord bless me and keep me the Lord make his Face to shine upon me and be gracious unto me keep me from all evil and lead me into all good by the Conduct of thy good Spirit let thy providence and love be my defence and security thy Grace be my portion and thy Service my Employment do thou O Lord go in and out before me and keep me in all my wayes and lead me in thy Paths bring me back again in peace and safety and prosper all my innocent and holy purposes and when the few and evil daies of my Pilgrimage are ended do thou of thy infinite Mercy bring me to the Regions of holiness and eternal peace through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Thanksgiving after a Iourney O GOD the great Creator and preserver of all Men I give thee humble and hearty thanks for thy great Mercies shewed unto me all the dayes of my Life how often O Lord hast thou turned away thy Face from my sins and made as if thou perceivest them not How often mightest thou have with-held thy hand of preservation from me and yet thy patience hath extended so far towards me that thou hast suffered no prejudice to befall me And as I owe thee infinite thanks for thy former preservations so now I am further obliged to thee that thou hast at this time not only guided me to the place whither I designed to go but hast also brought me back in safety and in my absence hast preserved all things unto me GIVE me thy Grace O Lord to be alwaies mindful of these and all other thy Mercies towards me and make me truly thankful unto thee for them and grant that as by this thy Mercy I have well finished my affairs abroad and am returned safe to this my Temporal habitation so grant that my Spirit after this Pilgrimage here on Earth may return to thy Heavenly mansion and there dwell with thee for ever and that for the sake and merits of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer before a Voyage OETERNAL God even the God of our Salvation the hope of all the ends of the Earth and of them that remain in the wide Ocean under the shadow of whose Wings we are always secure and without whose protection we cannot expect safety I have been O Lord preserved by thee until this moment from many dangers for which I have not expressed my thankfulness in acknowledging those dayly blessings I have received from thee but O Lord forget and forgive those manifold sins which I have Committed against thee and blot them out of thy Book of remembrance PURGE me O Lord I beseech thee from all vile affections and grant I may bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit go along with me with thy blessed Spirit in this my Voyage preserve me from Pirates Robbers and Enemies defend me from Rocks Sands and Shelves and keep me from Thunder
and Lightning Storms and Tempestuous Weather or any other danger that may dismay me To thee O Lord I commend my Body and Spirit to dispose of me according to thy holy Will and Pleasure if thou art pleased to call for my life upon the surface of the Waters I know thy Almighty Word can command the Sea to give up her Dead at the last and great audit BUT if thou hast determined to bring me safe to my desired Haven give me thy Grace which is sufficient for me to walk according to thy holy Will in all things make me to lay hold of eternal Life which as the Anchor of Hope is both sure and stedfast keep me from all temptations Ghostly and Bodily and from sudden Death and in thy good time bring me to the Land of the Living there to reign with thee for evermore Amen A Thanksgiving after a Voyage O IMMORTAL God I have seen thy Works O Lord and thy Wonders in the Deep thou spakest the Word and the stormy Wind arose which lifted up the Waves thereof but when we cried unto thee thou madest the Storm to cease so that the Waves thereof were still then did we rejoyce because we were at rest and thou broughtest us safe to that Haven where we would be O that men would therefore praise thee O Lord for thy Goodness and declare the Wonders thou dost continually for them I BLESS thy holy Name for conducting me through those many dangers which encompassed me and praise thy Mercy that the Deep hath not swalloyed me up and that I am not gone down into the place of Silence I also praise thy holy Name and admire thy loving Kindness towards me that thou hast not delivered up my Body and Goods as a prey into the hands of unreasonable Men but hast brought me to my desired Haven and at last hath returned me back in safety to my Habitation O LET me never forget to pay those vows I made to thee when I was in trouble but give me an awful sense and apprehension of thy great power and possess my Soul with a true reverence of thy Divine Majesâ—y that I may evermore serve thee in holiness and Righteousness all the dayes of my Life Endue me with thy holy Spirit that I may become acceptable in thy sight and may be fitted at lenght for future Glories this I beg for thy Son Jesus Christ sake my only Saviour Amen A Prayer in a Storm O LORD our God thou hast commanded us in the day of Calamity to call upon thy Name and thou hast promised to hear us Lord I fly unto thee who art a sure refuge thy Flood-gates are opened and the Floods lift up their lofty waves But thou O Lord most high art mightier than the noise of many Waters yea than the mighty Waves of the Sea Thou canst in a moment if it stand with thy Divine will and pleasure rebuke the Winds and the Sea and this Storm into a Calm I KNOW I justly deserve to be cast away and utterly to be rejected by thee but Lord save us or else we perish accept of my unfeigned Sorrow for all my sins and trangressions and endue me with a stedfast resolution to forsake them be merciful unto us O God be merciful unto us and save us from perishing in these deep Waters O refresh us with thy Mercy and that soon lest we go down into the place of silence O comfort us in this great distress that though the Sea rage and swell our hearts may be quiet and still in this time of our disconsolation AND as I earnestly desire to be protected from this great Peril and danger which now terrifies us so I earnestly beseech thee that thou wilt for ever fill my heart with such an awful dread of thy Majesty that I may fear thy Name and praise thy power in the great Congregation awake my dull and drousie Soul from the sloth of Sin and renew a right Spirit within me fill me with the gifts and Graces of thy holy Spirit that I may live the life of the Righteous and never forget thy loving kindness save us now from death I beseech thee from the merciless Waves who are now ready to swallow us up and bring us home in safety for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake our only Lord and Saviour Amen A Thanksgiving after a Storm I PRAISE and glorifie thy holy Name O Lord for all thy mercies and blessings vouchsafed unto me especially for this thy last great Deliverance wherein I was encompassed in that wide Ocean whom thou hast set bounds and limits to if thou O Lord hadst not been on my side the Sea had swallowed me up quick and I had gone down into the deep of silence but thou hast been my God and my deliverer and hast put a new Song into my Mouth even a Song of Praise and Thanksgiving unto my God I ACKNOWLEDG O Lord that thou art the God of all the Earth and of them that remain in the broad Sea Blessed for ever and magnified be thy Name that thou hast not cast me out of thy sight nor turned thy Mercy from me I have escaped thy raging Sea and the noise of the proud Waves have done me no harm if thy Almighty providence had not protected me the Streams had gone over my Soul But the stormy wind and Tempest I have narrowly escaped the storm is ceased and I am safely delivered AND now what shall I render to thee O Lord for this and all other thy great benefits I will offer up unto thee the Sacrifice of thanksgiving and will pay those vows I so solemnly made unto thee when I was in trouble I will evermore remember that my help is in the Lord who made Heaven and Earth and that thou art that God that can and will deliver me let this thy mercy and loving-kindness never depart my memory but let me praise thy goodness and sing of thy power unto my lives end Amen A Prayer in time of Thunder and lightning O MOST mighty and terrible Lord God before whom the Earth shakes and the Heavens drop at thy presence thou overturnest the mountains by the roots and removest them in thy anger thou dost great things and thy wayes are past finding out yea thou dost wonders without number Thy voice O Lord is very powerful full of Majesty that it rends the Air and casts forth flames of Fire Thou canst O Lord at this time tear us in pieces and none can be able to deliver us for there is none but thee alone that delivers after this sort O WHO would not dread thy All-glorious Name O Lord Who would not stand in awe of thy Majesty Who would not fear thy Judgments when thou shoots forth thy Arrows of Thunder and Lightning It is of thy meer Mercy O Lord that we are not at this time consumed but that thy tender compassions fail not toward us poor but miserable Sinners the blast of the breath of thy
Noâ—trils can drive us like Chaff before the face of the Wind and chase us into the bottomless Pit from whence there is no Redemption BUT thine Eye O Lord hath spared us and we are yet alive O make us living Monuments of thy Mercy that we may work out our Repentance unto Salvation and let it be such a Repentance never to be repented of possess my heart with such a fear and a love of thee that I may tremble at thy Word and melt at the sight of thy Judgments deliver me I humbly beseech thee in that great day of thy appearance and let me not be in the number of Depart ye Cursed but among those whom thou callest Come you blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you This I humbly beg for thy Sons sake our only Lord and Saviour Amen The Marriners Prayer O GOD the great Creator of Heaven and Earth thou dost whatsoever thou pleaseâ—t in the Sea and in all deep places I the most unworthiest of all thy Servants am at this time called upon to behold thy Wonders in the Deep and to perform my Duty in great Waters Guide me I beseech thee in all times and in all places be thou our skilful Pilot to steer us and protect us from all Dangers and rebuke the Winds and the Seas when they molest us preserve our Vessel from being rent by the loud cracks of Thunder or from being burnt by Lightning or any other accident keep us and save us from tempestuous Weather from bitter Frosts Hail Ice Snow or Whirlwinds and from Captivity and Slavery TEACH me O God to remember thee my Creator in the days of my Youth to continually think upon thee and to praise thy Name for all thy Mercies bless all our Friends I beseech thee that are on Land and let their Prayers for us be acceptable in thy sight and grant that our next meeting together may be for the better and not for the worse even to the praising and magnifying of thy holy Name and the Salvation of our own Souls in the great day of the Lord Jesus to whom with thee and thy blessed Spirit be ascribed all Honour Power and Glory Adoration and Subjection now and for evermore Amen The Soldiers Prayer O MOST Omnipotent Lord God Heaven is thy Throne and Earth is thy Footstool and the whole Host of Heaven continually pays obedience to thee O Lord I present my self before thee acknowledging my own vileness but thy infinite goodness my own weakness but thy infinite Power and Majesty O thou that teaches our hands to War and our fingers to Fight endue me with a courage and resolution to run through those difficulties I may meet withal and when any engagement presents it self for the publick good of my King and Country then O my God animate me with that vigour and Christian fortitude that I may overcome all those which oppose thee and thy people PRESERVE me I beseech thee and bless me in all my Enterprises save me from Death and cover my head in our day of Battel prosper our Arms with good success make our Religion and Country like the House of David grow stronger and stronger but let the Enemy like the House of Saul grow weaker and weaker let no covetous desires greediness of spoil ambition vain-glory hatred malice uncharitableness or any thing that exalts it self against thee and thy Kingdom ever take hold of me keep me from all Atheism Infidelity Blasphemy and Prophaneness from all Rioting Chambering and Wantonness grant that I may do no violence to any man nor accuse no man falsly but be content with my Wages that when ever Death approaches I may joyfully giving up the Ghost pronounce this saying I have fought a good fight I have finish'd my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Iudge shall give unto all those which love and fear him and put their trust in his mercy Amen The Magistrates Prayer O GOD thou Supreme Judge of the World thou didit ordain Man through thy Wisdom and gavest him dominion over thy Creatures and authority to govern the World according to equity and righteousness and to execute Judgment with all uprightness thou hast appointed me a Minister O Lord and a Judge of thy Sons and Daughters but none can discharge so great a trust without thy divine power and assiâ—tance TO thee therefore O Lord do I humbly address my self thou art the Fountain from whence every good and perfect gift cometh and none can rule without thy Wisdom guides them Endue me O Lord with that wisdom which is from above which is first pure and then peaceable inspire me with an understanding Spirit that I may discern between Good and Evil between Light and Darkness that I may be always ready to pronounce a just sentence in all Causes let the Scales of Justice be ever even and let my Eyes be blind and my Ears deaf to all gifts or popular applause amongst men suffer me not to bear thy Sword in vain but fill me with that Zeal and Courage that I may be ready to punish Wickedness and Vice but encourage true Religion and Vertue so that at the last when thou shalt be pleased to call me hence I may give up my accounts with joy and not with grief and receive those blessed Words which thou hast pronounced of Well done thou good and faithful Servant enter into the joy of thy Lord. Amen A Prayer of a Debtor in Prison O GOD the helper of the poor and needy and all those who are in adversity look down I beseech thee with an Eye of Pity and Compassion upon thy afflicted Servant the place I am in is miserable disconsolate and comfortless but withdraw not the light of thy countenance from me O Lord I confess I have abused all those mercies I have enjoyed I have not employed that precious time thou hast given me to improve but on the contrary I have been negligent and guilty of all profuseness I have been worse than an Infidel in not making that provision for my Family which I was obliged in Justice to perform neither have I paid those due Debts which I became bound to do therefore aâ— I plunged into this depth of misery Divers ways I am apprehensive I have highly offended thy Divine Majesty both in thought word and deed for which I earnestly implore thy gracious pardon and forgiveness I acknowledge thy Divine Goodness and Mercy that thou hast not snatched me hence and sent me into everlasting burnings amongst the damned but thou hast preserved me unto this moment that I might live and praise thy great Name My Body O Lord is now confin'd but I beseech thee enlarge my Spirit whereby I may offer up the Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving with all cheerfulness for all thy innumerable benefits which I have from time to time received from thee dispose the hearts of my